


Tailspin

by reclusiveq



Series: Mythos Cycle [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Humor, M/M, Merman Bucky, Mildly Dubious Consent, Rescue Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-12
Updated: 2014-07-12
Packaged: 2018-02-08 14:17:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1944339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reclusiveq/pseuds/reclusiveq
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six years ago, Steve Rogers was thrown overboard in a storm at sea. Five years ago, he washed up on shore, alive and mostly well, except that he had almost no memory of where he'd been for a year. The only thing he could remember was the face of the man who rescued him. Steve can't stop thinking about that time. Then he hears about a new exhibit at a local aquarium, advertising a real live merman, and Steve finds himself thrown into an impossible situation to rescue the man he loves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey Cap! Come on, man. We’re all ready to head back in.”

Steve blinked and pulled his gaze away from the choppy seas. It was calm day of patrolling the coastline, which just meant Steve had too much time to think. He’d sometimes find himself watching the water for hours, searching for… something.

His crew teased him about it, but no one ever asked him what he was looking for. They didn’t need to. He was looking for answers, even now, five years later. He heaved a sigh and started issuing orders to the men. Not that they needed it, but it helped him to have something solid to focus on.

Tomorrow… tomorrow would be five years to the day that he washed up on shore, a year worth of his memory just… gone. He remembered the fateful storm, and getting thrown overboard. He remembered the waves tossing him further and further away. He remembered sinking and then… nothing. Well, not nothing. But what he could remember was vague and he couldn’t make sense of it. 

He grabbed the radio. “Station, this is Captain Rogers with the USS Shield. We’re heading back to port.”

“Roger that, Captain. By the way, the hot red head is here again. When are you going to introduce me?”

Steve laughed. “Barton, this radio isn’t a hook-up line. You want to meet her, I recommend you introduce yourself.”

“Fine, fine. But if she snaps me in two, I’m coming back to haunt you.”

Steve put the receiver up with a laugh, then stepped out onto the deck of the ship. “Let’s get back, men.”

~~~  
Natasha was an old friend of Steve’s from back in high school. They went through ROTC together and had plans to enlist in the Marines, until Steve found his joy ran more toward the water. They split paths, Steve signing on to the Navy for a term, then joining the Coast Guard. They remained friends, meeting up every other week for dinner.

“Nat, I hope Barton hasn’t annoyed you too much,” Steve said, coming into the station and smiling warmly at Natasha. He’d already shed his damp work clothes for something more suitable for dinner.

Natasha chuckled and gave Steve a hug. “Not at all. He’s… endearing.”

“Not the word I’d use,” Steve said with amusement, glancing at the radio control room. The door was closed, but Clint was watching through the window at the moment, looking like a particularly eager puppy. “I don’t recommend encouraging him unless you want something serious. He tends to get… attached.”

“No worries there, Steve. Come on. I’ve already reserved a seat at that one hole in the wall you like. Since I figured you were probably to preoccupied to choose.”

“Oh, shit. It was my turn to pick, wasn’t it?” Steve mentally kicked himself. They always switched off who picked the restaurant and it had been his turn, but this past week, his mind had been elsewhere.

“It’s fine,” Nat said, patting his arm. “Tomorrow’s the anniversary, right? You’re always like this. It’s why I picked a place I knew you’d like.”

“You’re a good friend, Natasha.”

“I know.”

The restaurant wasn’t far from the beach. Steve let Natasha drive. He could go back for his bike later and he was still a little distracted. Natasha didn’t press him for details. She knew Steve too well to wonder what he was thinking about. 

Dinner was a mostly quiet affair, with the occasional small talk. Steve answered more from rote than from actual paying attention. Which meant her next question threw Steve right out of his reverie. He focused on Nat more closely. “Sorry, say that again?”

“You know that one aquarium. HYDRA?” Natasha asked.

“Yeah, the horrible one up the coast?” Steve made a face. “The conditions are terrible, I’m surprised it hasn’t been shut down yet.” He’d only ever been there once and had been so appalled by the state of things that he had immediately gone to file a complaint. Steve didn’t really consider himself an environmentalist, but even he knew animals deserved better than that. He’d never been back.

Steve suspected that the only reason HYDRA had not been shut down was the rumours that they also did private government research. HYDRA’s speciality was the lesser known deep-sea fish and there was talk that they were doing military research on some of those species. After all, fish in the deepest part of the oceans had adaptations that could potentially be useful. Steve didn’t know what those uses could be, it wasn’t really his field.

“Apparently they have a new exhibit. High profile, they aren’t letting the general public in to see whatever it is yet.” Natasha’s face was unreadable as she spoke, leaving Steve to guess at what she was hinting at.

“Whatever it is? So what? No one knows what new creature they’re murdering there?” Steve asked, his tone sharp.

“Well, the general public doesn’t know. But I managed to snag myself an invitation.” NAt placed an envelope on the table and slid it across the table to him. 

Despite himself, Steve had to admit he was curious. He opened the envelope and pulled out a ticket. He nearly choked when he read it. “A mermaid? Seriously?” 

Natasha smiled. “That’s what they’re billing it as, anyway. It’s probably some new breed of shark or something. It doesn’t matter. Fury is pretty much forcing me to go and check it out and I need a date.”

“Are you asking me to go with you?” Steve raised an eyebrow at her. There was something to all of this that was nagging at Steve. He knew Natasha was intel in her unit. If her commanding officer was making her go, then she was there for information. He knew she’d never admit it though, and Steve would never ask.

“You know me,” Natasha said. “I don’t like these sorts of functions, but he has his niece’s birthday party to attend, so I’m sort of stuck.” Steve could tell she was lying, but didn’t question it. “I know you don’t like the place, so I’d owe you a favor.”

Steve nodded. She might need back up and she was trusting him to watch her back. However he felt about the place, he wouldn’t leave her hanging. “Of course. It’s this Friday, right? Suit and tie, occasion? Or should I go in my uniform?”

“Suit and tie is fine.” 

~~~  
Steve couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation on the ride home. When Natasha dropped him back at his motorcycle, she gave him a hug. “Try to get some sleep tonight?” Steve nodded, hugging her back, but his mind was still on the mermaid.

There was just something about it all that was nagging at him, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. About halfway home, he gave up thinking about it. By the time he reached his house, he’d managed to push it to the back of his mind. Natasha was right. He did need sleep. 

Steve turned on the radio to some classic rock station and collapsed onto his couch with the day’s paper. He thought about swimming, and looked down at the narrow river of water running through his living room. He’d spent a lot of money for that feature. His house was just far enough from the beach that it wasn’t practical to go there every weekend to go swimming. Not to mention that sometimes he just liked the quiet solitude his pool provided. 

His eyes trailed the line of water to where it vanished around a corner. He couldn’t see it past that point, but he knew it ended on that side in a smaller pool in his bedroom. The other direction led outside to the larger pool. It had been expensive to build, but worth it, and it wasn’t like he was using his money for anything else. He had already paid off this house, so he didn’t really have a lot of bills to pay.

His eyes grew heavy, staring at the way the water gently rippled in the soft light, and soon he was falling asleep. 

_Dark blue eyes watching him carefully, curiously. Pulling him through the water, laughing with amusement. Fingers threaded through his own, then wrapping in his hair. Lips pressing against his, giving him air, but doing so much more to him. Legs wrapped around a fin, something pushing inside… feeling good, so good and free… gasping for breath, water rushing in and fear… so much fear held in those dark blue eyes…_

Steve yelled as he woke, gasping for breath and struggling against something that wasn’t real. It took him nearly a whole minute to realise he wasn’t drowning. He was safe, in his own house. Even so, Steve still took several slow, deep breaths, grounding himself. 

That was nearly the same nightmare he had almost every night, except that the part with the fin was new. He blamed it on all the mermaid talk. Rubbing his face, Steve knew he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep tonight, so he got up and went to the kitchen to make himself some coffee.

Those blue eyes in that handsome, curious face were the only vague memory he had of his missing year. It felt like those features belonged to someone important to him, but he had no idea why or who. He’d never gone to school with anyone like that. If it had been the man who had rescued him, then why couldn’t he remember now?

Sam, his counselor and another close friend, that could sometimes happen with amnesia victims. That when they gained back their original memories, they would forget whatever life they had made for themselves in the interim. But that knowledge did nothing to quell the frustration he felt. It bothered him that he couldn’t remember.

There was just too much Steve didn’t know, but the last thing he needed was to dwell on it. He had his life back, and he needed to start living it again. That’s what everyone told him, anyway. After five years, it should have been easy, but it wasn’t.

~~~  
Steve smiled as Natasha pulled up. He slid in, taking note that she was wearing her uniform, which was an unusual sight and meant that she wanted to blend in. She didn’t want to be noticed. “We’re probably going to be late,” she said. There was no apology in her tone, but Steve hadn’t expected one.

“Good,” Steve said, grinning at her. “Maybe we can leave early too.”

Natasha laughed. “Maybe. Buckle up.”

It took them about an hour to get there, even with Natasha driving crazy as usual. The aquarium itself was closed, but security directed them to the back entrance. Steve was tense as he got out and took Natasha’s arm. Natasha handed over their invitation to the greeter at the door, then led the way inside.

It was surprisingly stuffy inside. Most aquariums were kept cool. Steve had to bite his lip to keep from making a face at the smell of cigar. Most businesses had a no-smoking policy and Steve, who had battled with asthma as a kid, had a particular dislike for the habit. But it seemed to be not only acceptable here, but encouraged. Steve supposed it was all to just make the guests as comfortable as possible.

Steve had guessed correctly about Natasha wanting to blend in. She wasn’t the only female officer, but the military guests were all in their uniforms, while their dates, like Steve, had dressed in whatever business formal attire they had. He recognized a couple of faces from when he served, but most of the guests were unfamiliar to him. That turned out to be a blessing. He wasn’t forced to make small talk, so he just stayed with Natasha and greeted whoever she went to meet.

After about a half hour of socialising, it seemed everyone was here. A man in a suit came in and led them all into a much larger room. There were only a few seats here, most of the space taken up by what Steve assumed was a large tank mostly hidden behind a blue velvet curtain. The top of the tank was at least ten feet high. Steve couldn’t judge the width very well, but it filled the space it was in completely.

Steve stayed with Natasha near the edge of the room. He had watched her as they walked in, and knew she was looking for escape routes. He couldn’t blame her, really. This building was pretty enclosed and even he could feel the weight of it all surrounding him. He really preferred open spaces.

An older man, slightly balding and carrying himself with an air of importance, came into the room through a different door. “Ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to thank you all for coming. My name is Alexander Pierce. I know you’re all here to see this wonderful new species, so I won’t keep you waiting.” He nodded at a couple of men who began to part the curtains.

Steve glanced up at the top of the tank and frowned as he saw a man with a long pole pushing it through the water. He pulled it out and Steve looked back at the water. There was a tense moment when it seemed nothing would happen, then all of a sudden a shape swam up to the glass on their side. Steve’s breath caught in his throat. The other guests swarmed around the tank to get a better look, but Steve was frozen in place.

This was the face that had haunted his dreams nearly every night for the last five years. He would recognize it anywhere. He dug his nails into his palm, feeling pain. Definitely wasn’t dreaming, but this was impossible. Mermaids weren’t _real_.

“Impossible,” someone said, echoing Steve’s thoughts. “This is some sort of trickery. It must be.”

“I assure you, this is no trick,” Pierce responded, stepping forward. The guests backed up to let Pierce have the floor. “We thought so as well, but look at that spot on the creature’s right hip, where the scales meet skin.”

Steve moved forward and looked. It was scarred there and it appeared there were a few scales missing. His stomach churned as he glanced at Pierce, who pulled out a small box and opened it. Inside the box rested a few scales. “We removed a couple of scales for testing. That is a genuine mermaid. Or, well, merman. We believe it’s a male specimen, though we haven’t found a female to compare it with.”

Steve swallowed his anger, though it wasn’t easy. He wanted nothing more than to punch the smile off Pierce’s face, but Steve knew that would just get him arrested. He looked back at the merman. He looked at Steve, but there seemed to be no recognition in the creature’s eyes. It looked at him for a moment, then swam away to the other side of the tank.

Pierce was still talking. “Of course we will need investors if we wish to locate more of this species. If you’re interested in sponsoring our research expedition…”

Steve tuned him out again. That’s all this creature was to these men. This beautiful creature pulled straight from the pages of some old mythology was nothing more than a source of potential weaponry to these men. An object to poked and prodded and _owned_. But to Steve, the merman was so much more than that. He fought for the memory of this merman’s name name and it came to him. “Bucky…” Steve whispered. 

How had he forgotten? It was all still so fuzzy in his head, slowly coming back. But in that moment, there was only one thing Steve knew for sure. He was going to get Bucky out of there. Somehow.

~~~  
“You’ve been quiet all night,” Natasha said, on the drive home. “Want to talk about it?”

Steve didn’t answer right away. “If I tell you, you’ll think I’m nuts.”

“After tonight, I don’t think anything is crazy.” Natasha gave him a smile. “So you may as well tell me, or I’m going to call Sam and make him force it out of you.”

Steve laughed, though there was no real humour in it. “You would too. Okay, I’m probably going to need help anyway. I can’t do this alone. And I don’t think you were there to just offer funding.”

“This is about the merman,” Natasha guessed. “Tell me.” Her voice had an edge of command, but she needn’t have used it. Steve wasn’t going to hide anything.

“His name is Bucky,” Steve interrupted. He didn’t look at Nat. Despite what she’d said, he still felt she was going to think he needed to be locked up. “Six years ago, when I fell overboard... He’s the reason I’m still alive.”

There was only silence from Natasha’s side of the car and Steve dared a glance over. Her face was expressionless. “Go on,” was all she said. Steve couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

That was hopeful, so Steve continued. “It’s still a bit murky. It’s starting to come back, but it almost feels like a dream. I was going under. Then he was there, somehow breathing air into my lungs. Maybe it was magic, maybe something else. I don’t know, but whatever he did made it so I could breathe underwater. He could never explain it.”

“So he talks? He’s intelligent?”

“Whales and dolphins are intelligent too. The only difference is in how they communicate. But yes. He did know some human languages. English and a few others. He said he learned from others like me. I remember that.” Steve just didn’t know why he remembered that specifically. It seemed like such a random memory from that time.

“And he kept you down there for a year. How? Even if you could breathe, there would have been other side-effects.”

“I honestly couldn’t tell you. Like I said, it’s only slowly coming back. Even if I did remember, I’m not sure I could explain it. But his face is the one thing I never forgot. And seeing him again, there’s one other thing I know for sure.”

“And that is?”

This was where Steve had to stop and breathe for a moment before continuing. Because he did know this, and more than anything else, it felt like the most insane idea of the night. “I fell in love with him, Nat. I never wanted to leave him, but I had to. I can’t remember why yet, but I don’t think I had a choice but to leave. What kind of man falls in love with a fish?”

Natasha glanced over and met Steve’s eyes for a moment. “Half-fish. I mean, the top half wasn’t really all that bad looking and was very much human.” Natasha smiled reassuringly and Steve relaxed. Then her eyes lit up as something occurred to her. “Wait, does that mean you two… Did you have sex with him?”

“Nat!” Steve blushed, confirming her guess. As soon as she said it, he knew he had. He thought of the last dream he had and his blush deepened.

“How did that work? I mean, he didn’t seem to have any of the proper organs there.”

“It’s still a blur,” Steve said, and at least that was the truth. She let the topic drop.

They fell into a comfortable silence before Nat spoke again. “So you want to rescue him. That’s why you need my help.”

“Yeah. God, Nat. They’re torturing him in there. They peeled part of his skin off just to prove he was real. Who knows if they even put him under for it. Or what else they’re doing to him in there.”

“Okay.”

It was said so simply, without a moment’s hesitation, that Steve looked over at his friend. He’d half expected her to turn him down. “What?”

“I said okay. We’ll do it.” Natasha smiled at him. “You didn’t think I’d let you go alone, did you? We’ll have to make a plan though. Pierce had some heavy security on that tank.”

“I know. If we can just get him back to the ocean, I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Steve glanced out of the window, but the night was too dark to see much. The truth was, he wasn’t sure of that at all. He didn’t know if Bucky would be okay back in the water, not with people like Pierce out there looking for him. And Steve wasn’t sure _he_ would be fine with letting Bucky go back either. Not now after seeing him again. How could Steve be fine, going back to a lonely life without the man he loved?

“We can’t release him at the beach,” Natasha said thoughtfully. “It’s summer. Too crowded. Too many people will see him, even at night. We could explain that it’s just a detachable fin, but once word gets out that the merman is missing, they’ll be looking for witnesses. We have to take him out far enough to ensure that no one else will see him when we let him go. Can you take your coast guard boat?”

“No,” Steve answered, shaking his head. “They’ll know if I take it out. I do have my dad’s old boat, but it needs a few people to sail it properly. I haven’t used it in a couple of years, but I’m sure it works still.”

“Okay, you test it and find trustworthy people to help you take the boat out. I’ll worry about the breaking and entering parts. I know a few environmentalists who would kill to help out with this.”

“Not literally, I hope.”

Natasha gave Steve an enigmatic smile, but otherwise didn’t answer. 

~~~  
Once he was back home and alone, Steve sat on the couch and stared at the water, dredging up the memories he’d somehow forgotten long ago.   
_  
The merman’s touch was surprisingly warm, his lips sending shivers through Steve as the creature blew air into Steve’s lungs. Steve’s head felt light and he clutched the creature tightly, both scared and not, as it drew him slowly deeper into the ocean._

_Steve shouldn’t be alive. There was no oxygen and he could feel the water around him. Yet somehow he could breathe just as if he was on land and he wasn’t cold. “Am I dead?” He didn’t question how he couldn’t even talk underwater._

_The merman laughed. “Not dead.”_

_“What’s your name?”_

_“Don’t have one. You give me one.”_

_Steve stared at the beautiful creature, dumbstruck at its gracefulness, as it pulled him through the water. He came up with the first name he could think of. “Bucky.”_

_“Bucky?” The merman laughed, the sound like a dozen bells chiming out together. Steve watched the way the smile played on those lips and found himself wanting to kiss him again. A part of him recalled old stories of sirens luring men to their deaths, but this was different. Wasn’t it?_

_“I like the name,” Bucky said. “What is yours?”_

_“Steve.”_

_Bucky stopped swimming and looked back at him. “Steve,” the merman repeated._

_Steve felt himself being pulled into those dark blue eyes and he never wanted to be released. He swallowed. “Where are you taking me?” He asked, trying to pull back from a depth he wasn’t sure he wanted to escape._

_Bucky didn’t answer at first. He leaned in and kissed Steve, and this time it was a proper kiss, nothing like the life-saving kiss from before. It warmed him in a different way, the heat spreading from his cheeks to groin. Bucky’s arms were strong as the merman wrapped his arms around Steve and crushed him to his chest._

_It was Bucky who broke the kiss, leaving Steve nearly breathless and wanting more. Was this the song of the siren? If so, Steve wasn’t sure he wanted it to end. “We are going somewhere safe. Safe for you.”_

_Steve wasn’t sure what that meant, and didn’t care. At this point, he would have followed the merman to the gates of hell. And that was just from a kiss. If they went farther, Steve would never want to return._

_Bucky led him to a cave deep underwater. Steve wondered if he would see more mermaids and merman, but soon found out that the cave was empty except for the two of them. As soon as they were inside, Bucky rolled a stone over the entrance. “Safe,” he announced, then turned to face Steve._

_Steve had to get his thoughts off of that kiss and what might come next. He wasn’t even sure Bucky would know what to do with Steve other than kissing and his cock seemed determined to stand at attention under his pants. It was almost painful. “How am I breathing? And why did you bring me here?”_

_“I brought you here to be safe,” Bucky answered the second question first, as if it was obvious._

_“But why not take me to shore?”_

_“It’s not safe there.”_

_Steve felt that wasn’t the entire reason. There was something else behind those eyes. A hunger, almost. Steve bit his lip. “And my breathing?”_

_Bucky shrugged. “I gave you breath.”_

_It was such a simple answer. Steve guess Bucky didn’t know exactly how it was done. “Will I be able to go back? To the surface?”_

_There was an almost unreadable look in Bucky’s eyes at that question. He didn’t answer. Instead he swam over and fingered Steve’s clothes. “I don’t like them,” he said. He ripped Steve’s shirt open and Steve gasped. The gesture was almost violent. He grabbed Bucky’s hand before the merman could do the same to his pants._

_“Gently,” Steve said. He showed Bucky how to undo the pants. If he was ever to return to the surface, he’d at least need his pants. “Can you put these somewhere so they won’t float away?”_

_Bucky cocked his head slightly, then nodded and took them carefully, hiding them away. Steve was completely naked now and there was no way to hide his erection. He wondered what Bucky would think._

_When Bucky came back, he looked Steve over, and that hunger was back in his eyes. Steve shivered under that gaze, so full of lust. There was no mistaking it now, Bucky knew exactly what he was doing. Steve only had a second to wonder how many times Bucky had done this with other men before Bucky was on him._

_It didn’t even occur to Steve to resist and it wouldn’t have mattered if he had. Bucky wasn’t giving him a choice in the matter. Bucky’s silky smooth scales rubbed against Steve’s erection, making Steve even harder. Steve moaned as Bucky’s lips pressed against his neck. Bucky was pushing him up against the rough rock of the cave as he ground against him. Steve gripped the merman’s shoulders tightly as Bucky moved down Steve’s body._

_God, was it good. Bucky was making Steve feel things he’d never felt before and that was just using his lips. Bucky wasn’t lingering too long over any one body part as he trailed his lips down, almost impatient for the end spot. Steve was sure he was going to end up with scratches on his back from the wall, but despite Bucky’s impatient and rough attitude, Steve’s whole body was on fire and screaming for more._

_And when Bucky finally reached Steve’s cock and closed his mouth around it, Steve yelled and came too quickly, his hips bucking away from the wall._

_Bucky seemed annoyed at how quickly Steve had come, and Steve looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry,” Steve said. “Just give me a minute.”_

_“No,” Bucky said with a growl. It surprised Steve, the force of that response. Bucky moved back up and kissed Steve again. Steve had neither the will nor the strength to resist as Bucky flipped him over. He caught sight of Bucky’s own long cock, hard and ready, for a brief moment wondering where Bucky had hidden that until now. Then Bucky was spreading Steve’s legs apart and pushing that hard member deep inside of him, arms pinning Steve to him so there was no escape.  
_  
Steve opened his eyes to find he was touching himself as he remembered that first meeting. He blushed a bit and stopped. That had been the worst of their sexual games. After that, it had been better, with Steve teaching Bucky patience and understanding. 

It hadn’t all been sex either. Bucky had an amazing stamina and had kept Steve going that first night until Steve passed out from exhaustion. But when he woke up, Bucky had been staring at him worried. Once Steve had explained, Bucky had backed off, then started asking all sorts of questions about human culture. 

And Steve had responded in kind. For every question Bucky had about human culture, Steve had one about siren culture. It turned out that most mermaids and mermen didn’t live in large groups. There wasn’t some civilised culture of merpeople, living in huge cities. Bucky said some lived in smaller groups and some lived alone. Bucky was one of the latter.

Steve found it harder to answer Bucky’s questions of morality. Bucky turned out to be very curious and didn’t want to just know what human things were, but why they were the way they were. He wasn’t stupid or simple, Steve had realised. At worst he was naive about certain aspects of human culture, but he learned fast. Steve had to choose his answers very carefully when it came to those areas. There were a lot of questions that Bucky asked that were in moral grey areas. 

In all, it had been a wonderful year. As it progressed, Bucky became more aware of Steve’s moods and the things he liked and didn’t like. Steve had never really put much thought to it. For all he knew, this was what Bucky had done with all of his previous lovers. But as the end of the year drew close, Steve had noticed Bucky becoming more and more anxious.

That was when Bucky had told him. Steve couldn’t stay. If he stayed, he would die. The way Bucky had said it, Steve could tell it distressed him on an almost personal level.   
_  
“I don’t want you to die.” Bucky said._

_Steve took Bucky into his arms, pulling Bucky into his lap. There was less sex these days and more of these special moments where all they did was cuddle against the rock. “But that’s good,” Steve said, a bit confused._

_Bucky shifted. “The others… They all died. I don’t want you to die.”_

_“Others?” Steve had never asked about Bucky’s previously lovers, though he knew there had to have been a few. Bucky spoke a few human languages and he’d told Steve he had learned them from others like Steve._

_Bucky nodded, resting his head against Steve’s chest. “Others like you. But they’re not you. I don’t want you to die. But I don’t want you to leave. I can’t keep you safe if you leave.”_

_Steve tilted Bucky’s chin up and kissed him gently. “I don’t want to leave you either. But you said if I stay down here, I will die.” Steve wanted to say that he could also see him again, but he knew that would be dangerous. If humans spotted him, Bucky could be caught and experimented on, and Steve didn’t want that. “I love you, Bucky.”_

_“Love?”_

_Steve blinked, then realised that Bucky had no concept of love. “Yes. It’s when you like something so much that you never want to let go of it, and you just want what’s best for it. You want to protect it and keep it safe and care for it.”_

_Bucky stared into Steve’s eyes. “Then, I love you too. I do not want you to die, but if you go back, you will forget about me.” There was a sadness there and Steve wanted to reassure his lover._

_“I won’t. I won’t ever forget you. I promise.”  
_  
Except that he had. For whatever reason, he had forgotten everything but those dark blue eyes. He cursed himself. Bucky must have been caught because of him. Guilt weighed down on him, his shoulders sinking. He’d promised - _promised_ , damn it. If Bucky had gone looking for him...

Well, Steve would right that particular wrong. He’d get Bucky back home. He didn’t know what would happen after that, but he owed Bucky that much.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve had enlisted Clint to help with the promise that he’d introduce him properly to Natasha, though Clint would have agreed to anything if it meant he could get a night away from his family. He wasn’t married, but he lived at home with his parents and his family were all entertainers. Clint often complained that they sometimes got a little too dramatic, even for him. Steve could only imagine what that was like.

He’d also spoken at length with Sam who also agreed to help. Clint had been mostly willing to accept whatever came, but Sam had been an interesting conversation. He hadn’t believed Steve at first, but Steve managed to convince him he wasn’t crazy and, in the end, Sam agreed to help. Sam wasn’t just Steve’s counselor, he was also a friend, and if everything Steve had told him was true, then Sam understood that this might help Steve as well.

There was trouble on the day of the rescue though. Steve’s boat wouldn’t start. Clint and Sam looked on as Steve dug around in the engine. “Shit.” He’d tested it a couple days ago and it had worked fine then, so he wasn’t sure what the problem was now. They needed to get it up the coast to the rendezvous point. “Shit,” he said again. “Try again!” 

Clint tested the starter. Nothing. “Sorry, pal. Do we have a back up plan?”

Steve looked up at them, then back at the motor, thinking. He was no mechanic. He punched the deck. “Damn it. I was so close.”

Sam came over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “How about your pool?”

“What?” Steve blinked at him. “My pool?”

“Sure. We can bring him back to your place. Keep him in your pool.”

“I don’t know if he’ll survive the trip out of water.”

“It’s a better option than leaving him there. We can keep him wet using towels. If it’s a matter of breathing though…”

Steve took a deep breath. “No, he can breathe air like us. We just can’t let his tail dry out.”

“Okay, then. We’ll get him back to your place. That’ll keep him safe until we get your boat working.”

“That’s a good idea.” And Steve had to admit it made him happy. He wouldn’t have to let go of Bucky so quickly then. “Thanks, Sam.”

“Course. You better call your girl and let her know about the change of plans.”

Standing, Steve pulled his phone out and dialed Natasha’s number. She wasn’t happy about the change in plans. Steve couldn’t blame her. It put them at risk. If his house was searched, there’d be no way to hide the merman. But there was nothing else to do. “I just hope he still understands enough human speech to know that he’s got to keep quiet,” she said.

“I’m sure he does. I’ll meet you there.”

“Since your two friends won’t be on boat duty now, we could use them as a decoy if one of them has a car.”

“Clint’s got a jeep. Will that do?” Steve asked.

“As long as he can drive it well. Remember. Midnight.”

“Roger that. See you then.” Steve hung up.

“Hey, Cap,” Clint shouted. “What are you volunteering me for?”

“Decoy duty. You can impress Natasha with your driving skills.” Steve smiled, trying to hide how anxious he felt.

“Damn straight I will. Get your ice cooler, I’ll run and buy some ice. It’ll help keep the towels wet longer,” Clint said.

~~~  
The three of them met Natasha in town near the aquarium later that night. She had two people with her. Steve recognized one of them as Darcy Lewis, a well-known animal rights activist. He was also aware of the rumours of her being an eco-terrorist, but neither she nor the man next to her looked particularly dangerous. 

“Steve,” Natasha said, giving him a hug. “This is Darcy and Bruce. They’ll be helping us out.”

“Yeah, we’ve been trying to take this place down for a while,” Darcy said cheerfully. It almost seemed out of place, considering what they were about to do was highly illegal. Steve wondered if she really understood what they were about to do.

“You’ve done this sort of thing before, right,” Steve asked, trying to keep the doubt out of his voice.

“Oh yeah. Lots of times,” Darcy said, waving her hand. “Trust me, we’ll get this merman out.”

“You don’t sound surprised by the fact that we’re rescuing a merman,” Sam commented casually. Sam was taking it all in stride, trusting in Steve to lead them all straight. Steve hoped that trust wasn’t misplaced.

“You should have seen the centaur we dealt with last month…” Her eyes grew distant as she remember and she nodded with a little smile, clearly pleased about something.

“Darcy!” Bruce’s voice was sharp and he glowered at her.

“Oh. Sorry, I wasn’t supposed to talk about that.” Darcy didn’t look very sorry to Steve though. He wondered what that was about, then decided it wasn’t his business. Steve had to focus on Bucky first and foremost. He could ask Natasha about the rest later. Especially since he had a feeling she knew more than she was letting on, and if Steve was going to be caring for a merman for a while, then it would probably be nice to have some more information. But for right now, the most important thing was making sure this rescue attempt didn’t go horribly wrong. 

The six of them drew close as Natasha outlined the plan. Steve listened with a slight frown as she explained everyone’s roles. “Clint, you’ll be driving one of the decoy vehicles with me,” she said. Clint perked up at that. “Darcy’s going to be responsible for the security systems while Bruce and I take care of the guards. Clint, you just keep your jeep running. Sam, you’re taking my car with Steve, so you be ready with that. Don’t damage it. Steve, you’ll be with Bruce and I. Once we get to the tank, your only goal is to get Bucky out and back to the car. Bruce and I will cover you. We’ll split up after we get out. With luck, the decoy cars won’t even be needed, but I don’t like to leave things to chance. Darcy and Bruce will also have a decoy in their car, so if it is needed, they’ll have three cars to chase.”

Steve looked at her. “One thing, what if Bucky doesn’t go quietly. I can’t be sure he even remembers me and after the way he was treated, he might fight.” It was hard to believe he would, but Steve knew it was the truth. He hoped he could get Bucky to remember him, but they had to hurry.

Natasha pulled out a small black case, a little larger than her palm. “Already thought of that. It’s just a tranq. If he tries to fight you, use it. Don’t feel bad and don’t hesitate. Remember we’re getting him to safety, even if _he_ doesn’t know that.”

Steve took it from her and pocketed it with a nod. “You mentioned decoys.”

This was where Darcy perked up again. “Oh, this was my idea! Look.” She ran over to her truck and pulled a tail out of the back. At least that’s what Steve assumed it was supposed to be. It didn’t look much like one, but if he squinted at it just right, he could see it. “It’ll be dark,” Darcy continued. “So we can drape these out of the back of our cars and they’ll think it’s a tail. I made two.” She looked very proud of herself and Steve couldn’t help but smile.

“Thank you, Darcy,” he said earnestly. “Thank you all. I know what I’m asking.”

Clint punched his arm. “Please, like I’d miss out on this chance. This is much better than listening to my family talk about what kind of rope is best for tightrope walking.”

“And it’s the right thing to do,” Sam added. “Even I know that. What they’re doing… it’s just plain wrong. Simple as that.”

Steve grinned. “Well then. Let’s get going.”

~~~  
Steve glanced at Natasha as they drove over. He’d wanted a chance to speak to her privately and now was as good a time as any. “You seem to have planned this out a little too well, you know.”

She flashed him another of her enigmatic smiles; he returned it with an annoyed look. She sighed. “Okay, look. The things I do I can’t really talk about. You know that.” Steve nodded. “I’ll tell you this much,” Natasha continued. “We’ve been watching Pierce for a while. I wasn’t given that invitation just rub elbows with bureaucrats.”

So Steve’s guess had been accurate. She had been gathering intel. “Is there anything I should know?”

“Just that Pierce is dangerous. His loyalties aren’t exactly… patriotic.” There was another pause. “This isn’t about rescuing your boyfriend. That just happens to be a bonus.”

And a nice cover for Natasha to get the intelligence about Pierce and the aquarium that she really needed. If Steve didn’t know Natasha personally, that would have rankled, but he couldn’t blame her. “And Darcy and Bruce?”

“They’re really environmentalists, nothing more. But they have helped us before.”

“Yeah, about that. Bruce doesn’t look like he could hurt a fly, let alone take down an armed guard,” Steve said, thinking of the small man in glasses. 

“Oh, he’d surprise you. Trust me. This is the best team for this job.”

Steve took a deep breath, then nodded. “I trust you, Natasha.”

~~~  
They arrived and parked near the aquarium. Natasha got out and tossed her keys to Sam. “Remember, don’t damage it.”

Sam laughed. “Not a problem.”

“You two stay here until we’re ready for you. Darcy?”

Darcy was suddenly serious, a change for her, as she pulled out her laptop. “Five minutes to hack in and take control of the security feed and unlock all of the doors. I can keep control for ten minutes. Maybe fifteen, but that’s pushing it. So you have to get in and out quickly. Don’t waste time with pleasantries.”

Natasha nodded. “Steve, you take the rear on the way in. Put these masks on. We don’t need anyone able to ID us.”

Steve took the mask Natasha handed to him, just a simple black ski mask. He felt a bit uncomfortable with it, but he clung tightly to the fact that he was doing good, even if it felt criminal. _He_ wasn’t the criminal, Steve reminded himself. Pierce was.

Natasha looked at Clint and Sam. “Ten minutes after we go in, bring the cars around. Keep them running. We’ll be hitting the ground running. Don’t go straight home, unless you’re sure you’re not being followed.”

“Aye aye, ma’am,” Clint said, cheekily saluting. Natasha shook her head at him, amused but staying serious. 

“Darcy, your move,” Natasha said, pulling on her mask. Steve and Bruce followed suit, then followed her a couple blocks down, until they could see the entrance. Steve patted his pockets to ensure he still had the tranquilizer, then fell into line behind Bruce. Through the earpiece Nat had given him, Darcy announced she had control, and the three of them ran to the back door of the aquarium. There was a green light blinking on the alarm and Natasha pulled out a key to unlock the door. 

Steve wasn’t surprised that she had managed to get a key, considering what little she’d told him. Natasha pushed the door open and Steve flinched, still half expecting an alarm to go off. Nothing happened and they slipped inside.

They ran into the first pair of guards on the other side of the door. Natasha lashed out quickly, taking them both down before Steve could even blink. “They teach you that in the Marines?” He whispered.

He could feel the smirk Natasha had even without seeing it. “Keep going,” she said, instead of answering

Steve didn’t think anything could surprised him at this point. But when a second group of security guards, about six men in all, came bursting through the door, Bruce turned and, well… there was no better term for it than he bulked up. 

Steve blinked. It wasn’t just a trick of the light. Bruce was actually getting bigger, and greener too. And then all six men were unconscious on the floor, knocked out by Bruce. “What the hell?” Steve said, staring.

Natasha didn’t even glance back. “He’s part ogre,” she said, her tone stating she’d explain more later.

“You could have warned me,” Steve accused.

“I could have,” Natasha agreed, but her tone said otherwise. Steve took a breath. Mermen and ogres and centaurs. What other curveball was going to get thrown his way? “

We’re almost there,” Natasha said.

Steve swallowed, everything else forgotten. Bucky. His heart racing, Steve followed Natasha and Bruce through the final door. He looked around for some way to get to the top of the tank. Was Bucky even still in there?

Bruce hurried over, still ogre’d out and gave Steve a boost up to the top of the tank. Steve grabbed the edge and swung himself over. From up here, the water was difficult to see-through, as if it hadn’t been cleaned in days. “Bucky!” He shouted, hardly caring if anyone heard. He saw the flash of a tail through the murky water and took a deep breath, then jumped in.

Something grabbed his leg, dragging him down. Steve didn’t fight. He fumbled a bit for the case in his pocket, trying to keep an eye on his lover, even though he could barely see through the water. The case was smacked out of his hands by Bucky’s tail as soon as he got it out and Steve gave a mental curse. Bucky was trying to drown him.

Steve had one chance. He wouldn’t be able to hold his breath forever. He struggled and kicked free of Bucky’s grasp. Bucky came back around, grabbing Steve in a tight grip, pinning Steve’s arms to his sides. Bucky and Steve were face to face now, and Steve’s heart broke to see the feral and savage anger in those dark blue eyes that once held only curiosity and joy.

There was nothing else Steve could do. Bucky’s grip was too strong. So Steve leaned in and kissed him. He could feel water starting to push into his own lungs, but he kept going, closing his eyes as he willed Bucky to remember. 

There was a startled, muffled sound and the grip loosened around him. Steve had no more air left. Then suddenly he felt himself being pulled back to the surface.

_”We’ve waited too long,” Bucky said, frantically swimming around the cave._

_Steve had to admit, he was probably right. Neither wanted to leave the other and they kept putting it off. Steve didn’t want to leave Bucky behind, but if he didn’t he would die. At least if he went back, there was a chance of seeing him again. So he had to leave. They both knew today was the last day, but the hour… how many hours did Steve have left? Steve had no idea when the spell would wear off and they were deep under water._

_It was with a heavy heart that Steve left, letting Bucky pull him toward the sky, back to a life he wasn’t sure he knew how to live anymore. His pants had somehow survived too. Whatever magic or ability that had protected Steve from dying of exposure and worse down here had somehow preserved the clothes he had been wearing as well._

_But apparently they had waited too long and suddenly Steve was taking in too much water and there was still too far to go to the surface. Bucky was saying something to him, but Steve couldn’t hear him anymore. Pain had settled in his chest and then he blacked out….  
_  
They broke the surface of the water. Steve coughed the water out of his lungs, then sucked in deep breaths of air. He opened his eyes to see Bucky staring at him, concern etched over his face. “Steve?”

Hearing Bucky say his name made Steve’s heart skip. He smiled. “Bucky, it’s me. I’ve come to get you out of here.”

“Steve!” Natasha’s voice yelled from below. “We’re running out of time!”

“Bucky, we’re going to get you somewhere safe. Do you trust me?”

Bucky nodded. “You, I trust.”

“Good. I’m going to toss you over the side of this tank. Someone is going to catch you and I’ll be right after you. Can you survive being out of the water for a little while?”

“Of course,” Bucky scoffed. “And I can toss myself over.”

Steve watched him swim over. Bucky sounded a lot more human, and a lot less innocent, than he remembered. But then, Steve had no idea how long he’d been trapped here.

“Bruce!” Steve shouted down. “Catch Bucky! He’s tossing himself over!”

Bucky had incredible arm strength and Steve watched as he pulled himself up to sit on the edge, then fall over backwards. From the sound of a grunt that followed, Steve guessed Bruce had caught him easily. Steve followed suit, only letting himself down instead of waiting for someone to catch him as well.

Once he was down, he moved to take Bucky from Bruce, then looked at Natasha. She had a folder of some kind she hadn’t had before. It was probably whatever information she’d needed. “Ready,” Steve said. “I hope your tranquilizer case wasn’t marked. Cause I lost it.”

“I never carry anything marked. Let’s get the hell out of here. Steve in the middle.”

Somehow they managed to make it out without any more trouble. Sam and Clint were already waiting and Bruce, once again his normal, human self, shooed them off. “Darcy will get me. Just go.”

Steve didn’t need to be told again. He got Bucky into the back seat of Natasha’s sports car and wrapped his tail up in the wet towels they had prepared. The back seat wasn’t big enough for two grown men, especially when one had a tail, so Steve climbed into the passenger seat and nodded at Sam. Sam, trying not to stare, pulled out ahead of Clint and soon they were headed back home.

~~~  
“I just can’t believe it,” Sam said, not for the first time. “You know, when you said you were rescuing a merman, I didn’t actually believe you. I mean, I believed that you thought it was real, but I didn’t think you meant an actual…” He waved his hand in the direction of Steve’s pool.

Bucky, after being in the tight quarters of the tank, had been delighted by Steve’s pool. It wasn’t that it was really bigger than the tank, but it was cleaner and had a lot more areas to explore. Steve could tell Bucky wasn’t perfectly happy though, but he couldn’t blame him. He still had no idea the full extent of Bucky’s trauma, and he might never know it. But Steve could also see the relief in the merman’s eyes. It was true that Bucky was no longer carefree and naive; he’d seen the ways of men. But Steve hadn’t changed, and now the merman had seen there were other good humans too.

“I know,” Steve said. “Not like I blame you. Hell, once I remembered, I still thought I was maybe crazy. But he’s really here.”

“You gonna be okay?”

“I don’t know. I can’t keep him here forever. Eventually I have to take him back to the ocean, but god… I see him and I fall in love all over again.”

Sam looked over at Bucky, who had pulled himself halfway out of the water in the living room to investigate Steve’s radio. “You should talk to him,” Sam said. “Find out what he wants.”

“I don’t know if he’d understand.” Steve watched Bucky as well, wanting nothing more than to go over and hold him.

“You won’t know unless you ask. I’m going home and giving you two some time to yourselves. Natasha’s keys are there.”

“Thanks, Sam. I owe you.”

“You can buy me dinner next week.”

Steve laughed softly. “Deal.”

Sam left and Steve walked over to the waterway, sitting down with his feet in the water. Bucky glanced at him, then looked away. “I couldn’t find you,” Bucky said quietly.

“I’m sorry. I broke my promise. I forgot after I promised I wouldn’t.” Steve looked at his own hands.

“We waited too long. But I didn’t want to let you go.” Bucky said. He swam over and took Steve’s hands in his own. Bucky’s hands were calloused now, and Steve frowned. “When you weren’t there, I was sad and lonely and I missed you. So I went looking for you. I learned everything I could, so I’m smarter now. Humans… you lead fun lives sometimes, but you also lead terrible lives. Humans do terrible things to other humans. And I thought maybe someone was doing something terrible to you and I wanted to protect you. So then I went looking for a way.”

Steve looked up and met Bucky’s eyes. “You went looking for a way to protect me?” 

Bucky took his hands back and placed them on the stone edge of the waterway, pulling himself up so he could be eye level with Steve. “I learned. I love you and I want to protect you,” he said, earnestly. Steve’s breath caught in his throat. Bucky leaned in and kissed him deeply, his tongue pushing past Steve’s parted lips. Steve closed his eyes and spread his legs so Bucky could slip between them to get closer.

Wrapping his arms around Bucky, Steve pulled him in tight, then carefully lay back on the cool floor, bringing Bucky with him. They hadn’t broken the kiss. It was everything Steve had been longing for since he’d been found on the beach. Bucky was moving against him, and Steve was getting hard, but he didn’t want to let go long enough to get his clothes off.

Bucky was the one who broke the kiss finally. He pulled back. “Clothes. You humans wear too many of them.” Bucky sounded irritated, which made Steve laugh.

“Well, I happen to like wearing them, but not right now, I think.” He got up with difficulty and pulled his shirt off first. “You can stay here as long as you want, you know. I wish I had a bigger pool for you.”

“I won’t need it,” Bucky said with certainty, making Steve pause in the middle of removing his pants. 

“What?”

Bucky gave him an exasperated look. “I want you now. I’ll tell you the secret later.”

Seeing the look of heated lust on Bucky’s face, Steve knew there was no point arguing. He finished undressing, then climbed into the water with Bucky. His lover was on top of him almost as soon as Steve slipped in. 

Bucky pushed Steve’s back against the side of the waterway and Steve grabbed the edge with one hand and Bucky’s hip with the other. Bucky kissed him again, more desperately this time. He broke it sooner than Steve wanted, and ducked under the water. As Bucky’s lips wrapped around Steve’s cock, Steve had to grab the edge with his other hand as well, or risk smacking his head on it. Bucky pulled off and ran his tongue from the base to the tip and Steve closed his eyes, biting his lip to keep from moaning too loudly. 

It was hard to thrust his hips under water, which meant that Bucky was the one controlling the speed. One hand fondled Steve’s balls, the other probed Steve’s ass. It had been so long since Steve had done this, but somehow he was managing to hold on. Then Bucky was going down on him again, taking in all of Steve and he couldn’t keep quiet anymore. He was glad he didn’t have any close neighbors here.

Steve was close to coming when Bucky pulled off of him. He came back out of the water, and Steve stared at him through lust-filled eyes. “If I try to take you like this, you’ll go under and drown,” Bucky explained. The merman pulled himself out of the water and lay on his back. Steve looked down at where Bucky’s own cock was somehow poking through the scales of his fin.

It took a minute for Steve to understand, he was so caught up in the sight of Bucky laying before him in all his perfection. Steve licked his lips, then pulled himself out of the water and straddled Bucky. He wrapped his hands around Bucky’s shaft. It felt cool and hot at the same time. He spared a moment of thought for lube, but he knew he didn’t have any and somehow he’d never needed it with Bucky. He stroked Bucky a few times, then positioned himself properly. 

The tip of Bucky’s cock pressed against his hole and Steve waited a moment until Bucky started to squirm himself. Bucky had already opened Steve up enough from just his fingers, so it wasn’t as difficult as it could have been to slide down onto the merman’s cock. Steve slid down slowly, watching Bucky’s face as he went. Bucky was flushed with desire, but just as Steve hadn’t been able to thrust much in the water, Bucky was at his mercy here on land.

Steve smiled as he bottomed out. He paused there a moment, partially to get used to the size again and partially to enjoy the sounds Bucky was making, then he started fucking himself on the merman’s cock..

It felt amazing. Steve had forgotten how amazing this was. Bucky was gripping Steve’s thighs as Steve rode him. Then the merman reached out and grabbed Steve’s cock. Steve yelled in pleasure as Bucky started to stroke him matching Steve’s tempo.

With a loud groan, they both came at the same time. Steve collapsed onto Bucky’s chest and Bucky wrapped his arms around him. “Sleep,” Bucky said and Steve thought he should be telling Bucky that. But Steve was exhausted and it wasn’t long before Steve fell asleep and for the first time, he had no nightmares.

~~~  
When Steve woke up late the following day, he found himself alone on the couch. He sat up quickly and looked toward the water, wondering if he’d dreamt it all. But no, he was still naked. He wondered if Bucky had gone out to the big pool. Getting up, he started to reach for his clothes when he heard a noise in the kitchen. 

“Who’s there?” Steve asked sharply, in a commanding voice. Inside, he was panicking. Was it Natasha? Had someone else seen Bucky?

But the person who came out of the kitchen was not who Steve expected. Bucky, walking on two very human legs, came around the corner and looked at Steve. Steve stared right back, looking from Bucky’s face down his bare chest and stopping to stare at everything below the waist. “How?” Steve finally asked.

“I told you. I learned how to protect you.”

“Yes, but… but how?” Steve was still staring, his eyes drawn to the somewhat large cock dangling between Bucky’s legs. Steve tore his gaze away and looked back at Bucky, who was smiling, though there was a sad look in his eyes. 

“You don’t learn this stuff as a merman,” Bucky said. “They don’t _tell_ you. It’s a… what’s the word Tony used? Legend. That’s it.”

“Who’s Tony?”

“A merman, like me. But not like me. He’s more human than merman. But he’s smart. He knows things. And he told me that since a merman is a part of both worlds, they can live in either world. When wet, they live as a merman. When dry, as a human. He said it’s not magic, just a different kind of…” Bucky frowned. “Science? I think that’s what he called it. I learned a lot, but there are still things new to me.” Bucky sounded apologetic. 

Steve walked over and placed his hand’s on Bucky’s shoulders. “It’s okay. I mean… this is amazing.”

“I didn’t know if it would work. Before I could try, they… those nasty people. They caught me. They tore my flesh and tossed me into that water. They poked me with sharp things and I think I forgot a lot too. I wasn’t right.” Bucky touched his side, drawing Steve’s attention to the scar there.

“You’re safe now, though,” Steve said, kissing him gently. “You’re safe, and you’re home.”

“And I… I still look good to you?” Bucky looked at him, uncertainty in his eyes.

Steve kissed him again. “Bucky, no matter what skin you’re in, you will always looking gorgeous to me.”

Bucky’s smile brightened. “And I can help you too, now. Protect you. And you can teach me more about humans and their lives.”

“I promise. We’ll help each other.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has left some things open for a possible series. I have one in the works currently (working on it between other projects).


End file.
